1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a self-retaining endoscope which can relieve a patient to be examined from pain even if the endoscope is retained in the patient""s body for long time.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an endoscopy examination, in general, an endoscope has a body insertion portion and an operation portion connected thereto via a flexible tube. The body insertion portion is introduced into a patient""s body through his or her mouth to view a target inner part of the body. The body insertion portion of the endoscope must be sometimes inserted and retained in the body for a long time to observe the progress of a diseased part within the body or obtain and/or record somatoscopic information of a patient under ordinary every-day living conditions. However, the insertion and retainment of the endoscope in the body through the patient""s mouth causes the patient to suffer from significant pain.
To relieve the pain from the patient, it is known to use a capsule type endoscope which is provided at an intermediate portion of a flexible continuous member, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-76822. A patient to be examined swallows a soft ball formed at a tip end of the flexible continuous member in the evening of the day before an examination, so that the soft ball will be discharged from the patient""s anus the next day. An operator pulls or moves the tip end and the tail end of the flexible continuous member to thereby move or guide the capsule connected to the intermediate portion of the flexible continuous member.
In the endoscope which is in the form of a capsule as mentioned above, the pain that the patient suffers can be eased in comparison with conventional endoscopes. However, the patient must always carry the flexible continuous member whose one end extends out of his or her mouth for more than 12 hours. Consequently, it is impossible for the patient to take a meal or speak. Under these circumstances, no substantial pain relieving effect can be expected. Moreover, it is difficult to control the position of the endoscope in the form of a capsule.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-retaining endoscope which can relieve a patient to be examined from pain.
To achieve the object mentioned above, according to the present invention, a self-retaining endoscope is provided which includes an observation base portion adapted to be inserted into a body cavity through a mouth of a patient to be examined, the observation base portion being provided with an objective optical system and an illumination window; a catheter portion connected to the observation base portion, adapted to be inserted from inside the body of the patient through a nasal cavity of the patient, the catheter portion including an image transmission system for transmitting an image formed by the objective optical system and a light transmission system for causing the illumination window to emit illumination light; and an external device adapted to be detachably attached to a distal end of the catheter portion, the external device including a monitor portion adapted to view the image through the image transmission system, and a lighting device which provides light energy to the light transmission system.
Preferably, the observation base portion is provided with a bending portion, the catheter portion is provided therein with bending operation wires, and the external device includes a bending device which operates the bending operation wires to bend the bending portion.
Preferably, the bending operation wires are made of a shape memory alloy, and the self-retaining endoscope further includes a power supply/heat selection device for selectively heating the bending operation wires to bend the bending portion.
Preferably, the observation base portion includes a rigid portion having an objective optical system and an illumination window, a bending portion which is bendable, and a flexible portion which is deformed when an external force is applied thereto, in this order from the front end of the observation base portion.
In an embodiment, the light transmission system is a light guide fiber, and the lighting device is a light source.
In an embodiment, the illumination window is provided with an LED, wherein the light transmission system and the lighting device are a power supply line and a power supply, respectively.
In an embodiment, the image transmission system is an image guide fiber.
In an embodiment, the objective optical system includes a CCD and the image transmission system is a signal line.
Preferably, the observation base portion is provided with an endoscope element (such as an air supply port), and the catheter portion is provided therein with a supply tube connected at the front end thereof to the endoscope element; wherein the external device is provided with an endoscope element actuating device, which is detachably attached to the distal end of the supply tube, for utilizing the endoscope element.
In an embodiment, the endoscope element is an air supply port, the supply tube is an air supply tube, and the endoscope element actuating device is an air supplier.
In an embodiment, the endoscope element is an air supply port and a water supply port, the supply tube is an air supply tube and a water supply tube, and the endoscope element actuating device is an air supplier and a water supplier.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a self-retaining endoscope includes an observation base portion adapted to be inserted into a body cavity through a mouth of a patient to be examined; a catheter portion connected to the observation base portion, adapted to be inserted from inside the body of the patient through a nasal cavity of the patient; and an external device adapted to be detachably attached to a distal end of the catheter portion.
The external device is connected to the distal end of the catheter portion after the catheter portion is inserted through the nasal cavity of the patient. The observation base portion is provided with an objective optical system and an illumination window. The external device is provided with a monitor portion and a lighting device. The catheter portion is provided with an image transmission system for transmitting an image formed by the objective optical system to the monitor portion, and a light transmission system for transmitting a light from the lighting device to the illumination window.
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-104795 (filed on Apr. 13, 1999) which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.